WGAE Files Arbitrations Citing Strike Termination Agreement Violations

WRITERS GUILD, EAST FILES ARBITRATIONS

CITING VIOLATIONS OF STRIKE TERMINATION AGREEMENT

NEW YORK CITY – The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) today filed arbitration cases separately charging ABC and Corday Productions with violating the agreed-upon Strike Termination Agreement by retaining replacement workers on All My Children and Days Of Our Lives instead of allowing previously striking writers to return to their jobs. The Strike Termination Agreement entered into on February 11, 2008 clearly states "no replacement writer hired during the strike period shall be retained on a show over a striking writer who offers to return to work on the same show on which he or she was employed when the strike began."

The arbitrations charge that writers are being denied their rights to return to their jobs on All My Children (ABC) and Days Of Our Lives (Corday Productions). The positions were not eliminated and are instead being filled by replacement writers who performed struck work during the recent 100-day Writers Guild strike.

"The Strike Termination Agreement does not allow the retention of replacement writers in lieu of allowing striking writers to return to their jobs. ABC and Corday Productions are clearly violating this agreement," explained Ira Cure, senior counsel for the Writers Guild of America, East. "They have left us no other option but to file arbitrations to ensure our members will be afforded their rights outlined under this agreement."

The companies have 10 days to respond and pick a mutually agreed upon arbitrator to hear the cases.